Time-lock for tobacco-boxes



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G. W. SMITH. TIME LOCK FOB. rIOIBAGGO BOXES.

No. 580,736. Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GRANTVV'. SMITH, OF ONEILL, NEBRASKA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of VLetters Patent No. 580,736, dated April13, 1897.

Application liled Tuly 18, 1896. Serial No. 599,700. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANT W. SMITH, of ONeill, in the county of Holt andState of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Time-Lock forTobacco-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to novel mechanism for controlling the supply ofchewing or smoking tobacco carried by the user of the weed, the objectbeing to provide a portable receptacle for tobacco that is held closedduring predetermined intervals of time by mechanism that releases thelid of the receptacle at the expiration of periodic timeelimits, so asto permit the user to remove a supply of tobacco from said receptacleonly when the boxlid is thus automatically released.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, as is hereinafter described, and deiined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar'characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the novel tobaccoboX closed and locked. Fig.2 is a reverse plan View of the same. Fig. 5 represents the box-lid openand the glazed dial-cover similarly adjusted. Fig. 4 shows the boxopened, the dialcover swung back on its hinge, and an important featureof the improvement exposed by removal of the cover. Fig. 5 is a reverseplan view of a novel time-controlling dial removed from the b'ox. Fig. 6is an enlarged partly-sectional side view of the improved tobacco-boxsubstantially on the line 6 6 in Fig. 1,showing thelid locked in fulllines and released in dotted lines. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectionalview substantiallyon the line '7 7 in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a transversesectional view showing a slightly-altered construction of thelid-locking mechanism; and Fig. 9 isa transverse sectional view of thebox-lid and supports for the modified locking device on the line 9 9 inFig. 8, showingl the construction of said device.

There is a receptacle provided, of any suitable material, which ispreferably afforded an elongated rectangular form, as indicated in thedrawings, the corners and edges at the bottom of the same being roundedto remove sharp angles and adapt it for easy portage in the pocket ofthe person carrying the device.

The box is divided into two compartments 10 11 by a transverse partition12,` the compartment lO being designed to hold tobacco of any kindusedfor chewing or smoking, while the'other compartment contains timeclockgearing 13, adapted to control the release of the lid and cover thatclose the open sides of the two compartments.

An apertured lid 14 is hinged at one end of the compartment 11 and has aglazing 15 secured over the aperture in it, and below the lid 14 anapertured frame cap-plate 14a is removably secured to the case byscrews. A lid, 16 is provided for the compartment 10, having a hingedconnection at the end of the same, as shown at a in the drawings, andsaid hinge is provided with a throw-up spring b, that will cause the lidto assume open adjustment when it is free to do so.

The timeeclock gearing 13 is of any approved construction adapted todrive the dialplate c and note the lapse of hours and fractions thereofthat are marked on its top face, the dial in this construction beingsecured on the cannon-post d of the gearing, below and opposite theaperture in the cap-plate 14, so as to receive correct rotative motion,the regular movement of the dial-plate being indicated by a fixed hande.. (Shown in Figs.l

1 and 3.) The gearing 13 is driven by a coiled spring f, wound byturning its arbor f in the usual way, said arbor being provided with athumb-piece that is foldable in a recess in the back wall of the chamberl1, and said recess has a ilat pivoted cover f2, that will close theopen recess.

The dial-plate c is suitably notched in its peripheral edge, as bestshown at h in Figs. 4 and 5, said notches being each provided with aguard-plate c, that is pivoted on the lower side of the dial near oneend of the guard-plate, so that each of the latter-mentioned pieces maybe swung to open or close the notch to which itis adjacent.

Each of the cover-plates iis provided with an upright stud or pin m,which pins project from the guard-plates at points near their free ends,up through curved slots in the dialplate c, so .that by moving by handany of the pins in its respective slot the attached guard- IOO plate maybe rocked over or away from the notch 71 it is to guard.

From the lower side and near the free end of the lid 16 a latch-hook ndepends, which hook has the sloped wall on its hook portion, facedtoward an edge of the locking-bar o, that is within the case 11.

The bar o in one form of its construction is represented in Figs. 4, 6,and 7, comprising a metal strip of proper stability having a T-head oand is pivoted on a projection p from the partition 12, near a side wallof the compartment 11, through a slot in which wall said bar projectsand terminatesin a thumbpiece o2. A spring p is projected from the wall12 and presses the end of the locking-bar o, having the T-head o', awayfrom the dial c.

The bar 0 being spring-pressed at its edge nearest the partition 12, soas to normally remove its head o from the notched edge of the dial c, itwill be evident that if any one of the notches h has its cover-plate 'L'swung away therefrom, so as to leave it open, the head o may be vcausedto enter the open notch when the rotative movement of the dial c locatesthe opened notch opposite the head, the vibration of the lever beingmanually effected.

It will be seen that the length of the T-head 02 is sufficient to allowits upper member to engage with a notch in the edge of the dialplate cand also impinge upon the ends of such cover-plates i as are swung overthe notches they are to guard, so that the bar 0 can only vibrate awayfrom the partition 12 when pressed into an open notch h.

rIhe glazed lid 14 is sufficiently depressed at the edge which isadjacent to the partition 12 when closed to permit the free transverseedge of the lid 16 to lie level thereon when in folded condition, asshown in Fig. 6. The free transverse edges of the cover 14 and cap-plate14a are notched, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, so as to avoid contact withthe latch-hook n when the latter is caused to enter the compartment 11,the notch a2 of the cover 14 being also shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

- The folding movement of the lid 16 will cause the sloped face of thelatch-hook n to bear upon the lower edge of the head o on thelocking-bar 0 so that on vibrating the bar against the' stress of itsspring p a disengagement of the hook and bar will be effected.

The spaces between the notches h represent periods of time, preferablyequal in duration, and it will be seen that the interval between any twoof said notches will represent the shortest time for a locked adjustmentof the box -lid 16, the complete rotation of the notched dial c definingthe longest period of time for a retention of the lid over thecompartment 1() in a closed and secured condition.

The manner of using the novel tobacco-box is as follows: The user setsthe controlling time mechanism for the lid 16 by closing a suitablenumber of notches h, the cover-plates z' being moved Over the notches tobe closed by manipulation of the studs fm, where they .construction ofthe device is shown.

project through the time-indicating dial c, so that the free end o ofthe locking-bar o can be pressed by the thumb-button o2 into a notch 7?.that has been left open. The compartment 10 is sealed and kept closed byfolding its lid 16 over the closed lid 14, so that the latch-hook n willengage with the edge of the locking-bar o when the T-head o thereon isin normal retracted position. Now it will be evident that if the gearing13 is actuated by its spring, so as to correctly measure the lapse oftime indicated by the dial c, when the open notch h is thus brought at apredetermined instant opposite the head o of the locking-bar the lattermay be caused to vibrate against the stress of its spring by manipulating its thumb-button and thus release the hook n, so that the lid 16 maybe thrown open by the hinge-spring Z).

It will be obvious that the user of the novel tobacco-box, if he dependssolely on the contents of said box for the tobacco he chews or smokes,will be enabled to control the extent of such use of the weed byarranging the mechanism that has been described so that access totheinterior of the compartment 10 can only be had at times previouslydetermined by the tobacco-chewer, who desires to control his appetitetherefor and resist inclination to an inordinate use of the same.

It is well known to habitual tobacco chewers and smokers that the use ofthe same increases involuntarily, so that the tobacco is chewed andsmoked at more frequent intervals of time than would be if the user wascaused to realize the excess of consumption by inability to satisfy thecraving unchecked.

The improved tobacco-box is designed to enable an inordinate chewer orsmoker of tobacco to limit use of the same by causing him to wait thelapse of a predetermined interval of time before he can take a freshchew or ll his pipe, and by gradually increasing the length of timebetween such acts of indulgence the habit of tobacco chewing and smokingmay be greatly restricted and cured in the course of time, as its effecton the system is gradually diminished.

A small pinion on the upright shaft d', which has a thumb-piece exposedabove the cover-plate 14, is meshed with the gearing 13, so as to enablethe user of the improved tobacco-box to set any figure on the dial c op--posite the hand e by a rotatable movement of the cannon-post. d whensuch adjustment is desired. Y

In Fig. 8 of the drawings a slightly-altered The locking-bar s for thedevice represented in Figs. 8 and 9 is held in an upright position bypivoting its lower end onran ear s', that in this case projects projectsfrom the transverse wall 12 of the compartment 11, a further supporttherefor being affordedy by the laterallyextending rod o, that incomplete form extends through a slot in a bracket-plate p, thatvprojects from a side wall of the compartment,

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as indicated by dotted lines in the figures mentioned.

On the side of the upright locking-bar s a latch-dog u is pivoted, thepivot engaging a limb s2 of the dog that projects therefrom so as to lapupon the side of the bar, whereby the dog is supported to rock betweenthe inner edge of the locking-bar and the edge of the dial-platee, thatis notched, as before eX- plained, and has the cover-plates z', providedto guard said notches h.

The dog u is provided with a contractile spring n, that is connected toits lower end at u,and also to a projection S3 from the ,bar s, the pullof said spring being adapted to rock the toe of the dog u toward theedge of the dial c until checked by the impinge of a depending lug u2 onthe dog upon the adjacent edge of the upright locking-bar s.

In the operation of the modified form of the device the lid of thetobacco-holding compartment is retained in closed adjustment by thelatch-hook fn on the lid 16 during the rotatable movement of the 'dial cnecessary to bring an open notch thereon opposite the toe of the dog u,so that the latter may be rocked into said open notch by movement of therod 0, and correspondingly rock the locking-bar s away from the engagedlatch-hook n, so as to permit the spring-hinge of the lid 16 to elevateit, and thus expose the contents of the tobacco-holdin g compartm ent ofthe improved tobacco-box.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. In a device of the construction described, thecombination with a box having two compartments therein, a hinged lid foreach compartment, and a depending latch-hook on one lid adapted to entera compartment when the lids are closed, of clock-gearinghaving atimeindicating and time-controlling peripherallynotched dial on arotatable post of said gearing, and a locking-bar for the latch-hook,adapted to enter an open notch of the dial and thus release thelatch-hook, and means for closing one or more of the notches in saiddial, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the construction described, the combination with a boxhaving two compartments, a hinged lid for each compartment, and adepending latch-hook on one lid adapted to enter a compartment when thelids are closed, of clock-gearing, a time-indicating andtime-controlling dial secured on the cannonpost of said gearing, whichdial is serially notched on its periphery, pivoted guard-plates for thenotches of the dial, and studs extending from said guard-plates throughcurved slots in the dial, whereby the guard-plates may be adjusted,substantially as described.

3. A tobacco-box having two sections, alid for one section, a catch inthe remainingsection, the catch holdin g the lid closed, a notched diskturning in said remaining section and holding the catch except when thenotches of the disk are opposite the catch, and clock mechanism fordriving the disk, substantially as described. l

4f. The combination in a box, of a hinged lid, a catch holding the lid,a peripherally- Y notched disk juxtaposed to the catch and turning toperiodically permit the catch to move into the notches of the disk, andclock mechanism for turning the disk, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a box having two departments and two lids, of alatch-hook iixed to one lid, a spring-pressed bar normally engaging thelatch-hook and holding the lid thereof closed, a peripherally-notcheddisk located adjacent to the bar and normally holding the bar frommovement, the bar being capable of moving when one of the notches of thedisk is opposite the bar, and clock mechanism for turning the disk,substantially as described.

6. The combination with a boX having a lid, of a catch holding the lid,a disk provided with notches, a cover-plate movable from and over eachnotch, and means for turning the disk, substantially as described.

'7. The combination with a boX having a lid, of a catch for holding thelid, a rotating disk having a notch therein and a curved slot adjacentto the notch,`a cover-plate adjacent to the notch and moving over andfrom the same, a pin carried bythe cover-plate and running in the curvedslot, and means for turning the disk, substantially as described.

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